1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical conductor.
2. Description of Related Art
A conductor is disclosed in WO 2007/015345 A1.
By way of example, a conductor such as this is used in motor vehicles, for example in wiring or sensor lines. However, in principle, it can be used wherever electric current or data is to be transmitted. For use in motor vehicles, it must be possible to bend the conductor wire, the conductor must be flexible and resistant to tension and, in particular fields of use, it must also be able to withstand combined mechanical loads because lines which are equipped with a conductor such as this in a motor vehicle are continuously subject to oscillation and vibration during use.
The known conductor according to DE 10 2004 041 452 A1 has a non-metallic core in the form of a tension-resistant element. Wires composed of copper and with a circular cross section are twisted closely around the core, resting closely on it, in a first layer and a second layer of wires, which are likewise composed of copper and have a circular cross section, is twisted over the first layer, with the number and diameter of the wires being designed such that, when the wires are located closely adjacent to one another, this results in the conductor having a virtually smooth outer surface as a base layer for insulation to be applied to it. This conductor has been proven in practice.
US 2003/0037957 A1 describes an electrical conductor which comprises seven wires composed of soft copper, which are twisted with one another to form a braid. This conductor is intended to be used for movable parts and, in particular, is intended to have high conductivity. The ultimate tensile strength of the wires is 220 MPa or 220 N/mm2. They can be twisted with one another with a lay length of 15×D, where D is the diameter of the conductor.
The known electrical conductor according to the initially cited WO 2007/015345 A1 has a core composed of seven steel wires, which are twisted with one another, and a layer which surrounds the core and is composed of twelve copper wires. This conductor is intended to have smaller dimensions than known conductors. The steel wires have an ultimate tensile strength of 920 MPa or 920 N/mm2 or more, and the ultimate tensile strength of the copper wires is 220 MPa or 220 N/mm2, or more.